HELP

If anything about the game confuses you, or you encounter any bugs, or just want to write fan mail, reach out to us at blackhatoculus@gmail.com!

Prerequisites

In order to play Black Hat Cooperative, you'll need a friend (this game features LOCAL coop), the game, a PC, a keyboard and mouse, and a controller (XBox controller, or Vive controllers). A VR headset (Oculus Rift, Vive) is strongly recommended but is NOT required. If run on a machine without a VR headset attached, the game will spawn TWO windows, one for each player. If possible, we'd recommend putting the windows on different monitors to minimize screen peeking!

SCREEN RECORDING

With the out-of-the-box settings, the player using the PCs normal monitors cannot see what the VR player sees. That's great for gameplay, but not so great if you want to record a Youtube video/do a Twitch stream/etc. However, if you go into the settings in the main menu, you can set the 'video_mode' to 'split'. This will render both players' views onto the computer's monitors! These windows can be freely positioned and resized. Record away! And if you make a video, please tell us! We love seeing videos of people playing our game!!

How To Play the Map Player

As the map player, you are responsible for guiding the VR player through the different levels safely. You'll see where your VR partner is, and you'll be able to see many enemies or traps. As a rule of thumb, if it's red, it's probably deadly (red->dead)!

You should be TALKING (genuine, in-real-life talking) to your partner almost constantly.

You will use the keyboard and mouse to interact with the game.

The MOUSE can be used to move the camera. You can left-click-and-drag to pan, and you can scroll the mouse wheel to zoom.

Alternatively, the ARROW KEYS can also move the camera.

Any time you type anything, the VR player sees what you type, character-by-character. Pressing ENTER clears this text.

There are several special commands you can type in as well. These commands register when you hit ENTER.

logout - Exits the current level. Hitting ESCAPE also does this.

follow - The camera will automatically follow the VR player. Camera following stops when you use the mouse or arrow keys to move the camera.

settings - Typing this will present you with options for changing settings in-game. As an example, if the VR player wants to switch to third person, you could type "settings third_person 1". Typing "settings" will give you help text that will teach you the available options.

goto levelname - In the lobby, typing this command will take you to the target level instantly (assuming it's unlocked)

The VR player can SCAN enemies for you. Once you know an enemy's name, you can HACK it:

enemyname.blind() - This command will blind the target enemy for a period of time. It can still hear the VR player, though, so be careful!

enemyname.freeze() - This command will freeze the enemy for a period of time. It can still see the VR player, so careful it doesn't catch up once the freeze ends!

HACKING an enemy costs BITS. BITS are the yellow collectibles that the VR player can pick up.

How to Play the VR Player

Quick note, you don't NEED VR to play this game. But we strongly recommend it, and will be calling the player in the maze the VR player.

As the VR player, your job is to exit the levels without getting caught by enemies or traps. You must get through with stealth, you have no weapons of your own (though your map player friend can sometimes disable enemies!). You cannot see every trap in this maze, so trust your buddy!

It's important to talk to your partner when you play. They can see hazards that you can't. But you can also see things that they can't as well! Maybe they think a hallway is totally safe, but you see that what your partner thinks are solid walls are actually windows that nearby enemies can see through. Communicate!

ENEMIES patrol the levels. They will chase you if they see you OR hear you. You make more noise the faster you run. If you get caught, it's game over.

When you are in the maze, you should try to collect BITS. These are golden pieces of treasure that enable your partner to hack enemies!

You will also collect KEYS to unlock doors. Some doors are unlocked not by a key but by a PASSCODE. If you find a passcode, you should tell your partner so that they can type it in and unlock the door!

Your partner can HACK enemies, but only if they know the enemy's name. You can SCAN enemies by looking at them (focus the cursor in the center of your screen on the enemy).

There are several control schemes and options available. These can be configured in the main menu, or at any time during gameplay if your partner types in "settings".

1st Person + Two Vive Controllers:Left touchpad (touch): MoveLeft touchpad (press): SprintRight touchpad: Turn. By default, you turn in 45 degree increments when pressing the touchpad on the left or right. You can turn off 'snap turns' in settings, but this mode makes more people sick.Trigger: Unlock doorsMenu: (If in 'seated' mode) Recenter heightLeft Grip: If snap turns are on, snap left 45 degreesRight Grip: If snap turns are on, snap right 45 degrees

1st Person + One Vive Controller:Left touchpad (touch): MoveLeft touchpad (press): Turn. By default, you turn in 45 degree increments when pressing the touchpad on the left or right. You can turn off 'snap turns' in settings, but this mode makes more people sick.Left touchpad (hold press): SprintTrigger: Unlock doorsMenu: (If in 'seated' mode) Recenter height